E30 Zone

Hi all,

I have a full set of Alpina caps that have each got a bit of paint chipping on them. I'd like to try a respray, and was just looking to see if anyone has already done this on theirs, and if it's worth the hassle? Any tips on priming the plastic, or what paint I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance!

Connor

I take it these are BK Rep centrecaps, not origionals then?

If they are BK's, just buy some more. I got my spares from BK for a tenner each.

As far as I know, they're originals. If they were reps, I'd just get new caps.

ConnorTreacy wrote:Hi all,

Any tips on priming the plastic, or what paint I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance!

Connor

Why would you need plastic primer for???
Origional Alpina caps are metal with a lockable key, so no plastic primer is needed.

What size are the wheels ? If they are 16" - they may be fake, they may be genuine (fakes don't have locks on the caps), if they're 17" - they're fakes.

Simples.

I'll bow to the experts here, but I'm pretty sure they're real, and fairly sure the caps are made of a tough plastic, not metal. It's dark now, so I'm not gonna go out and take a photo of the cap itself, but here's a photo of one of the rims. You be the judge.



Once you've all decided whether they're real or not, can you come back and answer my question about refurbing the paint job?

Right, first question is does the cap lock via a key????
They look origional, but they are DEFINITLY not plastic, but metal centres.
Refurb is done by powdercoating the same colour as the wheel.

they are the real deal wheels

do you mean the 'cap' that fits over the lock ? or the centre cap ?

e30topless wrote:they are the real deal wheels

do you mean the 'cap' that fits over the lock ? or the centre cap ?

Good question that Steve, as the centrecap is metal, the "Keycap cover" is plastic
And did you get my PM

They have the wrong size tyres!

As said, the caps are metal. Alluminium like the wheel itself.

The lock cover is plastic though.

bss325i wrote:They have the wrong size tyres!

You HOMO!

bss325i wrote:They have the wrong size tyres!

I just put 2 new tyres on today too, same size! What's the right size?

205/50/16's

Rav335uk wrote:

bss325i wrote:They have the wrong size tyres!

You HOMO!

Not only does it look shit, it also undergears the car and gives a stiffer ride.

Genuine Alpina wheels can buckle easy especially on our poor roads. Having an even stiffer side way increases the risk of this happening.

None of that is homo.

No ! mark Barry?

Rav335uk wrote:No ! mark Barry?

Rav335uk wrote:205/50/16's

Gutted. I considered putting 50s on it but thought I'd better stick with what was on it before. Oh well, next time.

As for the caps, I did mean centre caps, and I could have sworn they were plastic. They feel and sound very light, even for aluminium. Every day's a school day I guess.

Has anyone done the powder-coat before? Is it easy to get the Alpina badges out beforehand, or do they need masked? I won't bother with it if it's not worth doing, but they're the only thing that stands out as needing fixed on an otherwise tidy car.

To remove the Alpina badge, heat up the back of the cap directly behind the badge, makes the adhesive go soft, and with a tiny flat blade, you can prise them out.